Method and system for retrieving information regarding an item posted for sale

• US 8,332,278 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Woolston, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, GREGORY L
• Application Number:
  US12/890,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20110016016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method and apparatus for creating a computerized market for used and collectible goods by use of a plurality of low cost posting terminals and a market maker computer in a legal framework that establishes a bailee relationship and consignment contract with a purchaser of a good at the market maker computer that allows the purchaser to change the price of the good once the purchaser has purchased the good thereby to allow the purchaser to speculate on the price of collectibles in an electronic market for used goods while assuring the safe and trusted physical possession of a good with a vetted bailee.

Claims

1. A portable computing device for use in displaying information concerning a good offered for sale, the device comprising:

a bar code scanner to scan a bar code associated with the good offered for sale; and

a user interface application to display information concerning each good that is associated with the bar code and is being offered for sale via an electronic marketplace, said information retrieved, using bar code data, by the electronic marketplace searching a plurality of databases for all goods associated with the bar code.

2. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the goods offered for sale includes a sales price for each good.

3. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the goods offered for sale includes prior sale information for each good.

4. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the goods offered for sale includes an image of at least one good.

5. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface application facilitates generating a customer purchase request to purchase a good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale.

6. The portable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface application facilitates submitting a bid to purchase a good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale by auction.

7. The portable computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

a digital camera device for capturing images of goods to be posted for sale at the electronic marketplace.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device, bar code data scanned with a bar code scanner;

communicating the bar code data to a second computing device having a database of data records corresponding with goods being offered for sale from a plurality of sellers, the second computing device capable of retrieving a data record from the database based on the bar code data;

receiving, from the second computing device, a portion of a data record associated with a good being offered for sale and corresponding with the bar code data; and

displaying the portion of the data record.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the portion of the data record displayed includes information relating to a sales price for the good.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the portion of the data record displayed includes information relating to prior sale information for the good.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the portion of the data record displayed includes an image of the good.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

processing a purchase request to purchase the good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale, the processing of the purchase request resulting in transferring ownership of the good.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

facilitating submission of a bid to purchase the good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale by auction.

14. An electronic marketplace comprising:

at least one network-connected computer managing a database of data records corresponding with goods offered for sale by a plurality of sellers via the electronic marketplace, the data records retrievable via bar code data;

a network connection for receiving the bar code data from a computing device, and after using the bar code data to retrieve those data records associated with goods being offered for sale, for transmitting portions of the data records to the computing device.

15. The electronic marketplace of claim 14, wherein a portion of a data record includes information concerning sales price for the good.

16. The electronic marketplace of claim 14, wherein a portion of a data record includes information concerning prior sales for the good.

17. The electronic marketplace of claim 14, wherein a portion of a data record includes an image of the good being offered for sale.

18. The electronic marketplace of claim 14, further comprising:

a user interface application to facilitate generating a customer purchase request to purchase the good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale.

19. The electronic marketplace of claim 14, further comprising:

a user interface application to facilitate submitting a bid to purchase the good via the electronic marketplace at which the good is offered for sale by auction.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a first computer, bar code data sent from a second computer;

retrieving a data record from a database of data records associated with goods offered for sale by a plurality of sellers via an electronic marketplace, the data record corresponding with the bar code data received from the second computer; and

transmitting at least a portion of the retrieved data record to the second computer for display.